VA retreats on threat to take veteran’s guns – but it’s not over

Yesterday I shared with you the story of John Arnold, a veteran who had been advised by the Veterans Administration that he was no longer entitled to his Second Amendment rights because he used a fiduciary to handle his financial affairs, which in the world of today’s VA means you are likely suffering from dementia.

Fortunately for Mr. Arnold, after a rally was organized by Idaho State Representative Heather Scott and supported by his community and the local sheriff, the VA retreated from their assault on his constitutional rights. But that doesn’t mean the battle is over, nor that it won’t happen again.

Even though they retreated, a spokesman, Bryan Holt, confirmed that this is pretty much standard operating procedure for today’s Veterans Administration:

“This does happen sometimes, where the VA sends out a letter, especially if a veteran has dementia … and a fiduciary has to be appointed to manage finances like a pension and income. You wouldn’t want that person to be in possession of a gun.”

By their own admission they have become a sort of Judge Dredd—empowered to summarily arrest, convict, sentence, and execute—ignoring the ban against illegal search and seizure (Fourth Amendment), the requirement of due process (Fifth Amendment) and the right to keep and bear arms (Second Amendment).

In Arnold’s case, this all started when he had a stroke a year ago. When his VA healthcare provider notified NICS (the agency that denies they are building a data base of gun owners) of his stroke, his Second Amendment rights were abolished without due process. And even though the VA may have filed the report to NICS in error, Mr. Arnold has to prove to the VA that he is competent in order to get his name removed. In other words, guilty until proven innocent.

There are other examples of abuse of power by the VA:

Disabled veteran Henry Wrobel had asked his VA counselor if he could receive his benefits by direct deposit instead of by mail in order to simplify his life which resulted in being put on the NICS registration list.

A Vietnam War widow was placed on the list after asking the VA for assistance in finding someone to help her with household chores.

“The liberties of our country, the freedom of our civil Constitution, are worth defending at all hazards; and it is our duty to defend them against all attacks. We have received them as a fair inheritance from our worthy ancestor: they purchased them from us with toil and danger and expense of treasure and blood, and transmitted them to us with care and diligence.

It will bring an everlasting mark of infamy on the present generation, enlightened as it is, if we should suffer them to be wrested from us by violence without a struggle, or to be cheated out of them by the artifices of false and designing men…”

David Leach is the owner and publisher of The Strident Conservative where he is proudly politically-incorrect and always “right.” He is also a frequent contributor at RedState.com.

His political commentaries can be heard daily on KLZ560 AM and other Crawford Broadcasting stations.